Human Resources


Organisation Chart of the Inland Revenue Department as at 31.3.2012

Establishment

The Commissioner, the two Deputy Commissioners and the five Assistant Commissioners, together with the Departmental Secretary, form the top management of the Inland Revenue Department.

As at 31 March 2012, the Department had an establishment of 2,818 permanent posts (including 26 directorate posts) in the Commissioner's Office and the 6 Units of the Department. Of the total, 1,858 posts were in departmental grades (namely Assessor, Taxation Officer and Tax Inspector grades), performing duties directly concerned with taxation. The remaining 960 posts were in common / general grades, providing administrative, information technology and clerical support services (Figure 35).



Figure 35   Staff establishment


Most of the professional officers serving in the Department were below the age of 45 (Figure 36). The ratio of male to female professional officers was 1:1.6.


Figure 36   Age profile of professionals (on strength basis)

  Age Group   Male   Female   Total  
  Below 25   5 (2%)   15 (4%)   20 (3%)  
  25 to below 35   29 (11%)   105 (25%)   134 (20%)  
  35 to below 45   87 (33%)   135 (32%)   222 (32%)  
  45 to below 55   116 (43%)   144 (34%)   260 (38%)  
  55 and over   30 (11%)   21 (5%)   51 (7%)  
  Total   267 (100%)   420 (100%)   687 (100%)  

Staff Promotions and Turnover


In 2011-12, a total of 43 departmental grade officers and 15 common / general grade officers were promoted, among them 5 were in directorate ranks. 167 officers joined the Department, of which 133 were new appointees and 34 were officers transferred from other departments. A total of 122 officers (including 47 transferred to other departments) left the Department.

Recruitment


HKICPA Career Forum 2011


The Inland Revenue Department participated in the Career Forum 2011 organised by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants on 16 October 2011 at the Kowloonbay International Trade and Exhibition Centre. The Forum provided a good opportunity for the Department to introduce its work and career opportunities to those interested in pursuing their career in the Department. IRD's booth attracted more than 500 visitors.

Training and Development

Staff are the Department's valuable assets. We recognize the importance of providing opportunities of continuous learning to our staff to keep them abreast of the changing environment and to acquire the necessary knowledge to perform their duties. A variety of training courses including taxation and accounting knowledge, interpersonal skills, management and languages are offered to staff members. In 2011-12, our staff received training for a total of 11,220 man-days, which was equivalent to about 4 man-days per officer.

The major training activities during 2011-12 were as below:

Training Courses

Workshops

Continuing Professional Education

9 seminars were held by the Training Committee under the in-house Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programme on the following subjects for professional officers:

Speakers for two of the seminars were staff members and others were experts from various fields. A total of 1,174 staff members attended these seminars. The video files of the CPE seminars were uploaded onto the Intranet and a total of 306 staff members had viewed these video files.

Seminars

In April and June 2011, the Department organised jointly with the National Tax Agency of Japan (NTA) two Technical Cooperation Workshops on Transfer Pricing, Mutual Agreement Procedure and Advance Pricing Arrangement. 3 delegates from the Office of Mutual Agreement Procedure of the NTA and 92 officers from the Department participated in the workshops.


In October 2011, the Department hosted a 5-day seminar on Auditing Multinational Enterprises in partnership with the OECD for ASEAN countries. Three expert instructors from the OECD conducted the seminar. 15 officers from 9 neighbouring countries and 10 officers from the Department attended the seminar. In addition, 10 officers from the Department attended the seminar as observers.

Overseas and China Training

We offer our officers opportunities to participate in overseas training programmes to broaden their horizons and to acquire the necessary knowledge for new and complex global issues. In 2011-12, 68 officers attended training courses held in China and other countries:

Continuous Learning

Apart from the conventional classroom training, the Department employs various means to promote the culture of continuous self-learning. These include encouraging staff to take the web courses provided by the CLC Plus of CSTDI and providing financial support to officers to attend seminars and courses organised by academic and professional institutes. In 2011-12, 54 officers were sponsored by the Department to attend the relevant courses. Training materials and information are uploaded onto our Intranet for officers to study in their own time and at their own pace. This provides an effective way for the staff to acquire new knowledge and refresh what they have learnt.

Mentorship Scheme


A Mentorship Scheme for Assistant Assessors has been set up since 2008. Under this scheme, experienced officers (the mentors) will guide newly recruited Assistant Assessors (the mentees) to broaden their perception about the Department and help them integrate into the civil service. To enhance communication between mentors and mentees, an IRD's blog is available for their dedicated use. On 11 January 2012, the Commissioner officiated the Opening Ceremony of the fourth round of Mentorship Scheme. Since the launching of the Scheme, a total of 72 mentors and 104 mentees have been recruited.

Staff Relations and Welfare

The Department values staff relations and welfare. We strive to maintain effective communication, and promote co-operation and mutual trust between the management and staff at all levels in enhancing the Department's operational efficiency and productivity.

The Departmental Consultative Committee

The Departmental Consultative Committee provides a formal and effective platform for the management and staff to exchange views on matters of mutual concern such as recruitment, promotion, career posting, training, working environment, staff welfare, office security and safety. The Committee is chaired by the Deputy Commissioner (Operations) and composed of representatives from all staff unions / associations and staff groups in the Department.

The General Grades Consultative Committee

The General Grades Consultative Committee, chaired by the Departmental Secretary, allows staff members of the secretarial and clerical grades to discuss with the management issues of specific interest to their grades.

The “Meet-the-Staff Programme”

First launched in 1996-97, the “Meet-the-Staff Programme” enables the senior management of each Unit and staff of different sections / groups to exchange ideas face to face on departmental and service-wide issues in an open and relaxed manner. It serves to supplement the formal consultative channel and effectively enhances communication between staff and the management.

The IRD Staff Suggestions Scheme

During 2011-12, 2 out of 11 suggestions received under the IRD Staff Suggestions Scheme were granted cash awards and certificates of commendation in recognition of their contributions to enhancing operational efficiency and quality of services of the Department.

The Inland Revenue Department
Newsletter

The quarterly Departmental Newsletter is another channel of communication between staff and the management. It also serves to promote a sense of belonging in the Department. Service-related issues, staff welfare, environmental protection, occupational and safety matters are disseminated through articles contributed by staff and unit management. The Newsletter also provides a regular roundup on the recreational activities organised by the Department's Sports Association as well as volunteer activities organised by the Department's Volunteer Team.

The Inland Revenue General Staff Welfare Fund

The Inland Revenue General Staff Welfare Fund was established in 1972. It operates on funds donated by staff on a voluntary basis. The purpose of the Fund is to provide within a short time small amount of interest free financial assistance, as an additional and quick emergency relief, to help staff in unexpected financial hardship. The Fund is managed by a Governing Committee, chaired by the Departmental Secretary and composed of staff representatives from the Department Consultative Committee and the Inland Revenue Department Sports Association. The Claims Sub-committee, formed under the Governing Committee, considers and approves applications for financial assistance made by staff.





Commissioner's Commendation Letter Scheme

In 2011-12, 43 officers were awarded the Commissioner's Commendation Letter in recognition of their exemplary performance in the Civil Service. The presentation ceremony was held in March 2012.

Secretary for the Civil Service 
Commendation Award 2011

In 2011, a Senior Assessor was awarded the Secretary for the Civil Service's Commendation in recognition of his consistently outstanding services and exemplary performance in his daily work. The presentation ceremony was held in November 2011.

The Long and Meritorious Service Travel Awards Scheme


In 2011-12, 26 officers with long and meritorious service were granted awards of overseas travel under the Long and Meritorious Service Travel Award Scheme.

The IRD Sports Association


In 2011-12, to promote the intellectual, social and athletic interests of its wide membership, the Sports Association put in dedicated efforts in organising diversified and enjoyable activities, including interest classes, workshops, thematic luncheon talks, sports competition, outings, singing contest and the annual dinner 2011. All activities were well received by colleagues and their family members.

2011-12 is the tenth anniversary of the IRD Volunteer Team, which is under the auspices of the Association. As in the past years, the Volunteer Team continued to participate actively in numerous charitable and community work to manifest care and love to the needy of society. Throughout the year, a total of 251 colleagues participated in various kinds of voluntary services recording 1,564 hours of services. To recognise the Department's continuous efforts in caring the community, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service awarded the “5 Years Plus Caring Organisation Logo” to the Department. This marked the seventh consecutive year in which the Department was granted the award.

On the charity front, the Association actively took part in various fund-raising activities, like “Medecins Sans Frontieres Day”, “ORBIS Pin Campaign”, and “Lifeline Express Charity Run/Walkathon”. Our members responded to the fundraising calls of different charitable organizations by great generosity and enthusiasm. The Department raised the highest amount of fund among the participating government departments in the “Medecins Sans Frontieres Day”. In the “ORBIS Pin Campaign”, the Department was the second runners-up of the “Top Five Fundraising Organizations” and the first runners-up of the “Top Three Organizations with the Most Participants”.